In this lavish historical drama - set in the Middle Ages -Arn, the knightly son of a Swedish nobleman, must journey to the Holy Land on horseback as a sentence for taking up with a forbidden romantic partner. The voyage carries him through… MoreIn this lavish historical drama - set in the Middle Ages -Arn, the knightly son of a Swedish nobleman, must journey to the Holy Land on horseback as a sentence for taking up with a forbidden romantic partner. The voyage carries him through the heart of the medieval world and into the core of the brutal and bloody Crusades.

A disgraced monk who is uncannily skilled in the art of war becomes a Knight Templar defending Jerusalem from the advancing army of Saladin. This Scandinavian… MoreA disgraced monk who is uncannily skilled in the art of war becomes a Knight Templar defending Jerusalem from the advancing army of Saladin. This Scandinavian co-production is a historical swashbuckler very much in the vein of the likes of Braveheart, combining romance and adventure in a medieval setting. It contains the kind of lavish battle sequences you'd expect, the desert engagement with Saladin a particular highlight but I found the action scenes a little brief especially considering the huge swathes of back story and gooey-eyed romance you have to wade through to get there. Of course, the fact that my plumbing is on the outside rather than in means I'd have preferred less kissing and more stabbing but Arn is nicely shot, well performed and written and technically is very proficient in general. Perhaps lacking the character and inspiration of the best examples of the genre but a solid and worthy effort that's worth a look for fans of chivalrous adventure. FRIHET!!!

Ginny X

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A Scandinavian film based on the… More<center>
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A Scandinavian film based on the fictional character of Arn Magnusson and one of his crusades as a Knights Templar. The story is set from the Middle Ages, and tells the story of his life, his love, his relationship with the true king of Sweden and how the young boy became a Knight Templar.
I think the story is a bit complex, perhaps most especially if youre not familiar with the swedish literature, but if you loved the Kingdom of Heaven then you will most definitely like this movie.
I cant believe people have rated this just with 3 1/2 stars! The acting was good, and when the movie ended I was like, what? Noo! I want more!! Maybe the general rating for this is only 3 1/2 cuz the story isnt very well known?? Or perhaps its because I havent really read the books yet?? Im confused, I actually found it to be a good film, its a very impressive swedish film and I cant help but wonder if Hollywood tried to rip this off with Kingdom of Heaven. I still have a lot of questions regarding Muslims and Jerusalem... I wish someone would answer them really.
For the bookworms, try to see The Knight Templar (Crusades) Trilogy by Jan Guillou. - Vägen till Jerusalem (The Road to Jerusalem), Tempelriddaren (The Knight Templar) and Riket vid vägens slut (The Kingdom at the End of the Road). -- Ill try to grab a hold of the books too when I can. :P
<b>*You might also want to see: </b> <a href="http://www.flixster.com/movie/arn-riket-vid-vagens-slut-arn-the-kingdom-at-roads-end"><b>Arn - Riket vid vägens slut (he Kingdom at the End of the Road)</b></a>, it is the sequel that follows the story of Arn as he returns home to Sweden after 20 years as a Knight Templar.
<b>BTW, best get a copy with proper english subtitles, the conversations on the film are mostly Swedish and only a few parts are in English.</b>

Stefan P

If you're expecting action you will be disappointed. There's a lot of slow scenes with talking and sometimes it gets too cheasy. Overall a great story… MoreIf you're expecting action you will be disappointed. There's a lot of slow scenes with talking and sometimes it gets too cheasy. Overall a great story with beautiful environments. Despite it's length I found it enjoyable all the way and I'm looking forward to the sequels.

Cynthia S.

Disregarding previous films, books, or documentaries, and judging this film based on its merits alone, this movie is excellent and well worth watching. The… MoreDisregarding previous films, books, or documentaries, and judging this film based on its merits alone, this movie is excellent and well worth watching. The dialogue, cinematography, and story line carry its own weight. All were well executed, and will bring the viewer through a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The acting is top notch, and the entire package is just wonderful. Really good movie!

Mike S

In terms of cinematography, directing and overall production, this was quite impressive for being a Swedish creation (and I should know because I'm a Swede… MoreIn terms of cinematography, directing and overall production, this was quite impressive for being a Swedish creation (and I should know because I'm a Swede myself). Unfortunately I haven't read any of the books by Jan Guillou, but after seeing this I kind of wish I had now, since the story of the knight templar Arn, turned out to be more intriguing than I had first anticipated.
The movie also depicts a piece of ancient swedish history, which became the most prominent selling point for me really, as it's an era I personally don't know that much about. It made for an interesting watch, and made up for the abundance of clichés found in the script. I was also very fond of the music score, as it reminded me a lot of the work by Howard Shore. Not as memorable perhaps, but ear candy nonetheless.
On the negative side, however, there were a lot of things that weighed down my final rating for this film. The first of which being the obvious lack of action. Most of the scenes were also annoyingly blabbery, which would have been fine if the dialogue was well-written, but since it was of very banal nature, I often found myself impatiently waiting for swords to be drawn and horses to be ridden into battle, rather than paying heed to anything the characters had to say.
As for the few action-scenes it had, well, they were pretty much over before they ever had the chance to become exciting, which is not all too surprising considering the director's lack of experience with big-budget productions. Still a decent and worthwhile film on the whole though, even if it's hardly something I'd wanna watch again.

Phil Hubbs

Probably the first film from Sweden I have ever seen and I only checked this out due to the pretty neat film poster/cover, it is a good looker. Its a long film… MoreProbably the first film from Sweden I have ever seen and I only checked this out due to the pretty neat film poster/cover, it is a good looker. Its a long film at just over two hours and to be honest its quite dull in allot of places, there is a huge amount of dialog which isn't helped as most of it is in very very small subs haha but it does add a good sense of realism or authenticity to the film. There is action throughout but not too much, the ending has a reasonable battle scene but its the small sword clashes in the first half of the film which work better as the major battles do show this isn't a huge Hollywood blockbuster ie. 'The Kingdom of Heaven'.
As said this can't quite compare to the major US historic epics in terms of looks but it does have a more gritty realistic feel over the big boys, the locations in Sweden are damn good looking plus its not often you see a film based in Sweden, the cast is (to me) mainly unknown accept for Vincent Perez of 'Crow: City of Angels' and Stellan Skarsgard, the rest are all very good in their roles and as always the film works better without huge name stars in my opinion.
The plot isn't too original (based on a popular book), young boy is raised in a monastery, taught to fight and ends up going off to the Holy land to fight in the Crusades for love and honour, the fact its based on a young boy from Sweden is a twist but apart from that its business as usual. It is a slow burner I must warn people, don't expect a fast blood soaked ride, there are allot of characters and allot of plot building going on especially in the second half of the film within the monastery but its still interesting just about :) If you like your history then I'm sure you will enjoy this.

Daniel Parsons

One of those against-the-odds "historical" dramas (the title character is fictitious) that, when it isn't laborious and dull, is cheesy and… MoreOne of those against-the-odds "historical" dramas (the title character is fictitious) that, when it isn't laborious and dull, is cheesy and overplayed. Joakim Nätterqvist is very good in the lead role and ages convincingly, and some of the battle scenes are well directed, but everything - from the star-crossed lovers to the jealous sister and manipulative mother, to the "noble" conventions of war, to the unsurprising climax - is familiar from innumerable and superior films. <i>Arn</i> is also needlessly protracted. Shame.